Transition strips for chair mats

ABSTRACT

A transition strip for rigid mats is provided. The transition strips are dimensioned and adapted to engage the elevated, relative to the underlying supporting surface, cantilevered peripheries of such rigid mats so as to provide a generally continuous smooth transitional edge between the top working surface the rigid mat and the supporting surface it is laying on. The transition strip has a longitudinal connector joined to yet extending away from an opposing bridge structure. The longitudinal connector is adapted to attached to the elevated periphery so that the bridge structure provides the smooth transition between the mat and supporting surface, lessening the likelihood of people stubbing their toes or tripping on the peripheries of such floor coverings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/751,981 filed 29 Oct. 2018, the contents of which areherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to chair mats and, more particularly, atransition strip for floor mats to provide protective transitional edgesthereto.

Wheeled chairs (or any wheeled object) can be a challenge to wheel overcarpeting. As a result, it is not untypical for individuals to lay morerigid mats, sometimes referred to as chair mats, over the carpeting sothat the wheeled object may more easily roll over that location.

Unfortunately, people walking over that same area can trip or stub theirtoes on the edge of such rigid mats because their peripheries tend to bediscontinuously elevated above the supporting surface/carpeting becauseof the mat's rigidity, especially relative to the soft carpeting onwhich it lays. This unexpected discontinuity between the chair mat andthe supporting surface it covers can catch the toes of people passingby, causing them to trip or painfully stub their toes. Such stubbing ortripping can be painful because many times these peripheral edges cannot only be rigid but also squared off and sharp.

As can be seen, there is a need for transition strips dimensioned andadapted to engage the periphery of rigid carpet-covering mats so as toprovide a protective transitional edge therebetween, replacingdiscontinuity or gap with a continuous smooth non-sharp surface so as tohelp prevent tripping and stubbing the toes of a person walking oversuch mats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a transition strip for a floorcovering includes the following: a bridge structure extending from a lowpoint to a high point; a connector extending from the bridge structure;and the connector dimensioned to engage a peripheral edge of a floorcovering so that the low point is below the peripheral edge and the highpoint is at or above an upper elevation of the peripheral edge.

In another aspect of the present invention, the transition strip for thefloor covering includes the following: a bridge structure extending froma low point to a high point; a connector extending from the bridgestructure; the bridge structure comprising an arcuate exterior surfacebetween the low point and the high point; a bridge elevation defined bythe high and low points is between a quarter inch and a half inch; theconnector dimensioned to engage a peripheral edge of a floor covering sothat the low point is below the peripheral edge and the high point is ator above an upper elevation of the peripheral edge; and the connectorcomprising two prongs spaced apart a thickness dimensioned to slidablyreceive the peripheral edge, wherein the two prongs extending adiametrically opposing direction relative to a bridge direction thebridge structure extends from the high point to the low point.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, shown in an assembled condition;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, shown in use demonstrating how the present invention protectsuser's toes from a mat's sharp edges.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a transitionstrip for rigid mats, wherein the transition strips are dimensioned andadapted to engage the elevated, relative to the underlying supportingsurface, cantilevered peripheries of such rigid mats so as to provide agenerally continuous smooth transitional edge between the top workingsurface the rigid mat and its supporting surface. The transition striphas a longitudinal connector joined to yet extending away from anopposing bridge structure. The longitudinal connector is adapted toattach to the elevated periphery so that the bridge structure providesthe smooth transition between the mat and supporting surface, lesseningthe likelihood of people stubbing their toes or tripping on theperipheries of such floor coverings.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5, the present invention includes oneor more long and/or short transition strips 10 and 20, respectively, forfloor coverings 30. Note that though the application references “floorcoverings”, it should be understood that the present invention may beused on various floor covers types as long as they are applicable to thefunctionality as disclosed herein. Particularly, chair mats that areplaced over carpeting 70 so that a wheeled-chair may more easily rollover the chair mat covered areas as compared to the non-coveredcarpeting.

Floor coverings 30, such as chair mats, tend to have traction or gripelements 60 along a downward facing surface thereof so as to grip thesupporting surface/filament of carpeting 70 they lay upon, asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. As a result, the portion of the floorcovering 30 between the outer most traction element 60 and the peripheryof the floor covering 30 is analogous to a discontinuous cantilever 50with sharp squared off edges, as illustrated in FIG. 4, which people cantrip or stub their toe on.

The transition strips 10/20 provides two portions: a longitudinalconnector 80 joined to a bridge structure 40. The longitudinal connector80 extends along an edge of the transition strip 10/20. The longitudinalconnector 80 may be a clip or two spaced apart members that engage thecantilever portion 50, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The bridge structure 40is dimensioned and adapted to, in effect, close off the area between thesupporting surface/carpet 70 and the peripheral cantilever portion 50 ofthe floor covering 30, providing a continuous transition between the twothrough the bridge structure 40 acting as a bridge. Thereby thetransition strips 10/20 provide a rounded, curved edge (via the arcuatesurface of the bridge structure 40) along the associated edge of thefloor covering 30, thus there will be less tripping or stubbing of auser's foot 90. In certain embodiments, the bridge structure 40 may notbe arcuate but more planar and/or beveled, even though this is not shownin the FIGS. The beveled transitional surface is still more continuousand less jarring that of the periphery of an unadorned chair mat/floorcovering.

The bridge structure extends from a low point 42 to a high point 44,wherein the elevational difference between the low point 42 and the highpoint 44 may be between a quarter inch and a half inch. It should beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the use of directional termssuch as upper, lower, upward, downwardly, top and the like are used inrelation to the illustrative embodiments as they are depicted in thefigures, the upward direction (or upper or top) being toward the top ofthe corresponding FIGS., and a downward (or lower or bottom) directionbeing toward the bottom of the corresponding FIGS.

The longitudinal connector 80 may include two spaced-apart prongs orprotrusions extending away from the bridge structure 40. The spacebetween the prongs may be dimensioned and adapted to operatively engagethe peripheral cantilevered portions 50 of the floor covering, asillustrated in the FIGS., through slidable receipt thereof.

The transition strip 10/20 may be made of various plasticized materialsor other materials that provide the requisite strength and are amendableto injection molding, additive manufacture and other forms ofinexpensive manufacture.

A method of using the present invention may include the following. Thetransition strips 10/20 disclosed above may be provided. A user wouldslide the longitudinal connector 80 over the peripheral cantileverportion 50 of the floor covering 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4 so as tobridge the area between a top, operable planar portion of the floorcovering 30 and the supporting surface 70 with the rounded bridgestructure 40. As a result, the feet 90 of users are less likely to stubor trip over the periphery of the floor covering/transition strip30/10/20 compared to the periphery of just the floor covering 30.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transition strip for a floor covering, comprising: a bridge structure extending from a low point to a high point; a connector extending from the bridge structure; and the connector dimensioned to engage a peripheral edge of a floor covering so that the low point is below the peripheral edge and the high point is at or above an upper elevation of the peripheral edge.
 2. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 1, the bridge structure comprising an arcuate exterior surface between the low point and the high point.
 3. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 1, the bridge structure comprising a beveled exterior surface between the low point and the high point.
 4. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 1, the connector comprising two prongs spaced apart a thickness dimensioned to slidably receive the peripheral edge.
 5. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 1, the peripheral edge is rigid.
 6. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 5, the two prongs extending a diametrically opposing direction relative to a bridge direction the bridge structure extends from the high point to the low point.
 7. The transition strip of a floor covering of claim 1, a bridge elevation defined by the high and low points is between a quarter inch and a half inch.
 8. A transition strip for a floor covering, comprising: a bridge structure extending from a low point to a high point; a connector extending from the bridge structure; the bridge structure comprising an arcuate exterior surface between the low point and the high point; a bridge elevation defined by the high and low points is between a quarter inch and a half inch; the connector dimensioned to engage a rigid peripheral edge of a floor covering so that the low point is below the rigid peripheral edge and the high point is at or above an upper elevation of the rigid peripheral edge; and the connector comprising two prongs spaced apart a thickness dimensioned to slidably receive the rigid peripheral edge, wherein the two prongs extending a diametrically opposing direction relative to a bridge direction the bridge structure extends from the high point to the low point.
 9. A method of decreasing tripping over a peripheral edge of a rigid chair mat laying on carpeting, comprising: providing at least one transition strip of claim 8; and relatively sliding said peripheral edge between the two prongs. 